Mightiest Melee Magician - Chapter 97

Most of the second semester classes were related to practical applications, and our ‘great’ seniors, who already graduated, were assigned as temporary teaching assistants and would observe our classes.

Fresh experiences that could only be felt in the field, advice that could be used in real life.

It was an excellent system that allowed the students to learn from the people who worked in the actual fields…

But how good it was would depend on who that person we were learning from was.

“Being jealous of those in authority and feeling inferior to the rich has happened since the beginning of time. The Galehill family was a family called the magician family ever since the birth of the Radian Kingdom, and we always reigned over everyone else. That’s why we’re quite used to things like that. I’m saying it’s nothing new. Do you know what we think when we see an oddball like Ruin Ardell?”

“What?”

“We feel pity for him. Because it just looks like he’s begging for others to pay attention to him. But does anything change just because he does that? No, of course not.”

“……”

“In the end, the outcome has already been decided. Just because he receives some attention now doesn’t mean the world will change to fit Ruin’s will. The magicians with the closest relationship with our kingdom is my Galehill, and it’ll be like that in the future as well. Ruin Ardell is a total loner, but we are one huge group. How’s that? Don’t you guys want to walk with Galehill as well?”

Jakil Galehill.

I didn’t know just how great of a magician he was, nor what he was like when he was a student, but I could easily guess why he was the representative of the Galehills to visit the Academy.

“……Would you accept me as well? My grades aren’t particularly good……”

“Why should grades matter? The person is more important.”

“R-really?”

“Of course. It’s only right.”

“Wow! How about me? Could I really work together with the Galehills as well?”

“……”

Jakil used his signature silver tongue to tempt the students.

He targeted the students who felt inferior because of their lacking grades, and his talent at manipulating them was top notch.

No matter how much you support Ruin, would he take care of you after graduating? However, Galehill is different.

Using a method like this was effective, and the academy’s atmosphere, which had flowed around me, started to change a little from the bottom up.

“What did I say? Didn’t I tell you it’ll be like this in the end?”

“……Sorry, Michael.”

“I don’t care. Get me some water. I’m thirsty.”

“O-okay!”

Because of this, the students started to regather around Michael Galehill, who had been roaming alone, and after receiving the support of his family, Michael had regained his old ego and shamelessness.

The structure of the academy naturally started to split into two groups.

“You heard Sir Jakil, right? Don’t you know that we can succeed as well if we work for the Galehills? If you made up your mind about becoming a magician, you need to at the very least become a court magician.”

“What? Court magician? You’ll just end up becoming a tool that they abandon later. Look at your grades. While you’re just good enough to not be the lowest in the grade, you talk of success? Court magician? Is he really talking with you because the Galehills are looking out for your talent? He’s just saying it to pit us against each—”

“Really? Then if you keep on trusting in Ruin, will that bastard be looking out for your future as well?”

“Do you befriend someone so you can leech off of them? I’m friends with him because I want to be.”

“Heh, friends? There’s only a few months left until graduation. Isn’t everyone competing in the end? You’ll end up biting your thumb because you couldn’t find a job after graduating if you let your emotions sway you.”

“I’d rather be biting my thumb. Don’t you have any self-confidence? At least I won’t be going under Michael Galehill, someone who hid his misbehavior for the last 5 years.”

Galehill and me.

I didn’t intend to become a leader of a group, but the atmosphere of the academy had somehow shifted like this.

I at least received firm backings from the 30 high-ranking students and Jason, who had participated in the Grand Festival with me.

But the low-ranking students who had never gotten good grades, praises, or even tried had mostly started to follow Galehill.

“What are you gonna do?”

“About what?”

“Senior Jakil… No, he’s no senior. The Galehill bastards are mocking you. Are you gonna just lie down and take it?”

“I can’t just run up and punch them.”

“That’s true, but…… Ahh! That Jakil Galehill bastard is acting up after coming here as a Special Lecturer since he knows he won’t ever clash with a student like you.”

“……”

I felt only one thing seeing the subtly changing atmosphere of the Academy.

It was so childish.

So childish for the Galehills to come and attack me with such a dirty method……

So childish for me to slowly but surely start to get angered by this provocation.

Even the students who had split themselves into the two groups were childish.

Yeah.

It was a little childish, but it was natural for kids to have kid-like methods.

“Just wait a little. An opportunity should show itself.”

I only waited for the day I could flatten their pride, believing that an opportunity would present itself to me.

And that opportunity…… ended up appearing in a totally unexpected place.

* * *

* * *

The Director had called for me for an official reason.

As the representative, I had the right to know the academy’s plans in the second semester, and the Director had the right to hear about the going ons of the academy through the mouth of the school representative.

“……Director.”

“Oh, please sit. What tea do you want?”

“I’ll take bill herb.”

“I knew you would, so I already had it prepared.”

As I sat on the sofa, the director poured the hot water into the prepared tea cup and handed it to me.

“I now completely know your preferences for drinks.”

“Is that so?”

“Isn’t bill herb the sweetest tea? The cocovanilla you enjoyed in Altein, and now bill herb…… Your preferences are still definitely a child’s. Haha.”

The Director laughed as he enjoyed his conversation with me, and took a sip of his tea.

And then, he changed the mood a little as he asked,

“Alright. How’s your academy life been recently?”

“……”

A normal question.

It definitely was the easiest way to start a conversation, but I noticed his hidden intentions behind that question.

“It’s been the same.”

“The same…… Is that true?”

“There is some small fry who has been stirring some trouble, but it’s not something to be worried about.”

“……Well, I think I know who you’re talking about.”

The Director placed down his tea cup and groaned lightly.

“Galehill… I don’t particularly like them either. However, it can’t be helped. All the magicians in the kingdom have some connection with them. The academy is no exception.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“However, we have changed the system from last year. We’re only assigning them to classes that won’t directly impact your grades. But even so, isn’t the academy a little noisy?”

“It’s my fault, probably. There are some ill feelings towards me.”

“How is that your fault? It’s the fault of those spoiled ones who can’t be satisfied by their station.”

“What kind of student was Jakil Galehill?”

After hearing my question, the director took another sip of his tea while wearing a complicated expression.

“……He was a typical Galehill member.”

‘A typical Galehill member’?

Just what did he mean by that?

Even if I didn’t know the whole story, he was probably twice as bad as Michael Galehill.

“With his good face and smooth talking, he was very popular. From the outside, he seemed to have good personal relations with others, and he also had good grades. However, that was only a front. A great snake was living inside him. Its desire for authority was insatiable, and its ambitions were deep. He did whatever it took to get what he wanted, and thanks to that, he became the youngest graduate magician in the kingdom, taking only 3 years.”

“……”

Someone who looked to be normal on the outside, but was rotten to the core.

Someone who would use any underhanded method to get what they wanted.

This was Galehill.

If it was this much, it was reasonable for me to attack him.

The problem was when and for what reason…

For this problem, it looked like the Director had an unusual idea.

“I’ll end that story here… The reason I called you here was to talk to you about the special lessons your cohort will be taking.”

“Special lessons?”

“So, do you remember how the plan was to invite trainee knights to the academy to do combat training together?”

“Yes…?”

For the first time ever, I saw the Director speak with a joking tone.

“At that time, I was thinking about putting the alumni and the students into one team for the lessons…”

“……A team with the alumni?”

“It’s sort of a combined class. Naturally, from the position of the already graduated students, they won’t have much to learn, but being able to show the learnings of the graduated students and see them implement them would be quite useful for the students. Isn’t this enough of a reason?”

“……”

To take a lesson with the graduated students who came as special lecturers as fellow students……

Did this mean that an official platform for me to fight against Jakil Galehill would be possible?

“What are your thoughts as the academy representative? Haha… Well, if you decline because you dislike it, I won’t press it further.”

The Director was still looking at me with a joking expression, but I could clearly see his hidden intentions.

He was looking forward to it. To the day I flatten the nose of the eldest son of that Galehill family.

This was the most official way for me to take revenge, a way that only the Director could facilitate.

“…I’m fine with it, but would that side accept it?”

“I already asked the representative of the graduates just in case.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he’ll think about it. However, the group mostly didn’t like it, saying it wasn’t right for them to take the same lessons as their juniors.”

“……”

That was understandable.

If they did well, it would still be a loss.

And if they did poorly, it would become a stain in their career that they would regret for a long time.

However, the Director offered another point.

“So, what do you think about going and asking them yourself?”

“…Me?”

“If a lovely junior like you goes and desperately asks the seniors to impart their knowledge onto you, how could they decline such a request?”

“……”

For the first time, I truly thought that the Director was a scary person.

The ‘request’ that the lovely junior Ruin Ardell would make would sound like a challenge to the senior Jakil Galehilll, and he would never be able to decline, lest it seemed that he feared a junior.

Additionally, if it was at a place with a lot of people, he might even try to provoke me openly.

A calculated and elaborate plan that was impervious to any disruptions since the beginning.

“How about it? Would you do that for me?”

“……”

I even thought that maybe he had intentionally brought a Galehill into the academy just for this.

Since he had placed many expectations on me, I should respond in kind, as his student.

I drank the now-cold bill herb tea in one swig.

“Yes. I’ll go now and make the ‘request’. Where is senior Jakil Galehill right now?”

——